Luke 10:13–21

The mission of the seventy comes before us next, and only Luke records it. It has a solemn and final character, with an urgency beyond that of the twelve in chapter 9. It is an errand of grace, since the One who sent them had a heart that longed over a great harvest of blessing. But it carries a last warning with it, and He pronounces woes here on the cities where He had worked in vain.

With what deep and awful solemnity the word "Woe!" falls on the ear, coming from the lips of the Son of God. It is the woe that follows rejected grace. It is no longer only a question of a broken law. It is no longer only ordinances dishonoured and abused, God-given institutions shamefully corrupted, prophets and wise men rejected and stoned.

The Lord was not at all unfeeling about His rejection. He felt it deeply, though in a spirit of grace… He had shown His power in blessings and in testimony. It had all been in vain. He had reproached them for the hardness of their heart. He had spent Himself for them, but their hearts felt nothing. Neither Tyre nor Sidon, neither Sodom nor Gomorrah would have stayed unmoved in the same circumstances. They would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Tyre and Sidon were nothing like Jerusalem. They were known everywhere for their wickedness. The Lord picks them out as such when He says… He holds them up as two of the vilest cities He could have named.

Why then did He not do these works in Tyre and Sidon? Because He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and would give them every opportunity to repent.

No doubt Tyre and Sidon will not be condemned for not seeing what they could not see: no one believes they will. But they are responsible for the light they had. There is a "more tolerable" judgment, "few stripes" instead of "many."

This is a solemn principle, far too easily and too often forgotten. People tend to pity those in distant lands who have never heard. It is right for those who rejoice in the Lord to feel for people who lack Him. But there is no greater delusion than to think that at the judgment people will be better off in England than in central Asia… Israel did have its privileges, no doubt. But privileges despised or misused only bring a deeper ruin on those who reject or twist them.

But does this not speak to people today who hear the gospel and have every privilege? It certainly does… The higher the place of privilege, the deeper must be the fall of those who are untrue. They have only the name of Christ, without the reality.

That city might reject them. They would then shake off all connection with it, even the very dust collected there by their feet. But there was something those who rejected the messengers could not shake off — their responsibility. The kingdom of God had come near, and they had cared nothing about it. They might give themselves to carelessness, indifference, and scoffing, but a day of reckoning must come.

It will be "more tolerable" for some in the day of judgement than for others. Not that the place or duration of punishment varies for any of the lost. Eternity in the lake of fire is the portion of all who die in their sins. Yet the Saviour speaks of "few stripes" and "many stripes," showing degrees of severity in the divine inflictions.

The Gentile will not be judged on the same ground as the Jew, and the Jew not on the same ground as the person who is a Christian in name only. Each will be dealt with on his own distinct ground and according to his light and privilege... All are not huddled together carelessly, as though they were all on one common ground. Instead, God makes the most exact distinctions. No one will ever be condemned for despising and refusing advantages that were never within his reach.

He says that if Tyre and Sidon, cities outside Israel, had seen the mighty works He did in Chorazin and Bethsaida, those cities would have repented in sackcloth and ashes long before. Why then did He not do these works there? Because He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and would give them every opportunity to repent.

The comparison shows that the Lord does not say Tyre and Sidon could have been brought to God and saved in that way. He does say they would at least have been moved and humbled, like Nineveh, by a visit from God that the cities of Israel met with hard indifference.

God had already judged Tyre and Sidon; Nebuchadnezzar, for instance, destroyed them. But God has not finished with them. Temporal judgments are not eternal ones. They will have to appear before the Great White Throne. It is then that it will be more tolerable for them. They were an immoral people. But their guilt was not as great as the guilt of those who rejected the testimony of Christ. Their punishment will not be as great either.

This is a solemn principle much too easily and too often forgotten. People are apt to pity the heathen and to think of distant lands... there cannot be a greater mistake than to think that, when the judgment comes, people will be better off simply for living in England instead of Tartary... Israel was certainly privileged. But privileges despised or misused bring only deeper ruin on those who reject or twist them.

On some of these towns — the scene of His work, which He was now leaving — He passes sentence Himself. In declaring the distinct judgment of each place, He shows His title, His power and His righteous judgment. Here is divine knowledge, competence and title. Here is the announcement of the judgment of God, known to Him before the time arrives — and yet all this done as a Servant! Note, too, that the Lord never says "Woe" at the beginning of His course.

It is remarkable to find that Capernaum was the very place which saw the first goings out of His wonder-working power, and His words too — the teaching of the great servant-prophet in this world. That is what made Capernaum's great exaltation. It was lifted up to heaven — how? Because it saw His mightiest works. It was allowed to see the divine display of power in the words as well as in the works of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so it was privileged.

We should drop our English word "hell" here and put "hades," meaning the unseen, in its place. People have tried to fix the location of hades. It is impossible to do so. Hades is a state, not a place. It is the condition of all people, good and bad, after death and before the resurrection. For believers, hades is to be with Christ; for unbelievers, hades is to be in torment.

Capernaum did not repent at the preaching of Jesus. Its unbelieving people must each answer for themselves in a day of judgment still to come. And this, the Lord's own city in Galilee, has been so fully overthrown that no one can identify its site with certainty.

This is a solemn principle far too easily and too often forgotten. People are apt to pity the heathen and to think of distant lands... there cannot be a greater delusion than to think that, when the judgment comes, people, considered simply as people, will be better off in England than in Tartary... Israel was indeed privileged. But privileges despised or misused only bring a deeper ruin on those who reject or twist them.

Capernaum, where He had mainly lived, was exalted to heaven in the greatness of this privilege, and so would be brought down to the desolation of hades. If the mighty works done there had been done in Sodom, the Lord says it would have remained to this day. Here the Lord must be referring to eternal judgment, for Sodom was totally destroyed and so already received a complete judgment in time. It will be more bearable for Sodom in the day of judgment than for Capernaum. Luke 12:47-48 shows that though all unbelievers will be sent to hell, there will still be different degrees of punishment for them, depending on the measure of responsibility.

Privileges not valued bring the severest judgment from God. How far does this principle apply to our favoured land?

These seventy did not have the distinguished place of the twelve apostles, but they still stood for the Lord in full, as verse 16 makes clear. The verse sets out the same principle as Luke 9:48, only here the Lord carries the matter back to "Him who sent Me." The seventy might be ordinary people, yet much depended on how people took their message.

The Lord clothes the words of His disciples with a more awful judgment than His own, because people were more likely to despise the disciples than their Master. People might take advantage of His disciples and say they were only men with the same weaknesses as themselves, and that they had their faults — and so they did. But the question was this: what was their testimony, what was their mission, and who sent them? What blessings did they hold out? What penalties did God threaten against those who scorned them? They testified of God's kingdom at hand… now that it was near, to despise those who preached it would be to despise Jesus and God Himself, while to listen to them would be a true way of honouring Jesus.

It was contempt of God Himself — and this in the middle of all the painstaking care of grace, and the loving desire that His people should have the truth. It is still worse now when people refuse the Gospel. Its message is the revelation not only of the kingdom but of the grace of God that brings salvation. To put it away from the soul is to insult God in the depth of His love, and knowingly to reject His mercy for eternity… Whether then or now, to reject His testimony, no matter who brings it, is to reject Himself and God.

In the original language, the verb seems to mean slighting or disregarding the claims the law had on them, as if those claims were not worth recognising… The Lord used this same word when He spoke to the seventy about their preaching.

To reject a servant who is really sent out by the Lord, and who is doing His will and standing for Him, is to reject the Lord Himself. God taught Samuel this lesson. Samuel was displeased with Israel for wanting a king to judge them like the other nations… Like a true man of God he prayed about it, and in answer the Lord told him to listen to the voice of the people: "They have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them." … Blessed is that servant who, through grace, is so hidden behind his Lord that he is lost in the Lord's aims and interests, and thinks only of HIS honour and HIS claims.

Where is there any allusion to the church or its authority here? It has always been true that to receive or reject the servant is to receive or reject the One who sent him. Here the servant is heard because he came to them in Messiah's name. We know from Matthew 16:18 and other scriptures that the church on earth did not yet exist. It could not exist until the Holy Spirit came down, as recorded in Acts chapter 2.

The seventy finished their mission, gave their testimony, and came back saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us through your name." This was a great witness to Messiah's power. Men in Israel always looked — the faithful most of all — for God to show His power over Satan through the Messiah in the world... And now what a sign and a seal He gave! He cast out demons, and His servants did the same through His name.

He gave others the power to work miracles, to heal the sick, to cleanse the lepers, to raise the dead, to cast out demons. As another has said, any man may work a wonder if God empowers him; but none except God can give the power to do so. Elijah's cloak fell on Elisha; but when Elisha used it, he asked, "Where is the Lord God of Elijah?" The disciples, though, cast out demons in His name — the name of Jesus — when He sent them. They used in His name the power that He had given them.

He who sends us out to act in His name sustains us in the mission with all His power. No one goes to war at his own expense at any time. His name, indeed, when rightly borne and used, carries omnipotence with it. So when the seventy returned to the Lord, they said, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us" — not "through" Your name, as some translate it, but "in Your name."... So the mission and the power to carry it out belong together. Only faith — faith in action — is the essential condition for using that power.

They should have expected this, since the Lord had sent them for it. He did not encourage their excitement over the work, though He did speak of seeing Satan fall from heaven...

"Subject to us," they said; not going in thought beyond themselves. But the Lord took at once a comprehensive view of it all. He knew what it pointed to — the downfall of the enemy. They spoke of the demons. He spoke of Satan... The subjection of the demons to His name was the guarantee of complete victory over all the power of the enemy. As yet men might not, did not see that. It was like the cloud the size of a man's hand, which Elijah's servant saw. But that cloud grew until it covered the whole sky. In the same way, the enemy's power had begun to give way, and it would be destroyed completely.

They had been preaching their first sermons and performing their first miracles. They were therefore exposed to the deadly trap of the beginner... But the Lord showed them that their immature judgment had made them miss the true proportion of things. The gifts of grace far exceeded in value the equipment for service. Their names were written in heaven and not in the dust of the earth.

No power over evil can be compared to the joy of His grace. That power is real now, and in the end it will display the full glory of God. But the joy of grace is greater: not merely seeing Satan turned out, but God brought in. And meanwhile, in the communion of the Father and of the Son, they have their portion and their names enrolled in heaven.

The Lord said He gave the disciples authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. He was speaking of the hostility of demons. He would also protect the disciples from the harm satanic power wants to do. But this was not meant to draw attention to the messengers. It pointed to Him, the blessed Lord of glory, who gave this authority Himself.

They spoke of the demons. He spoke of Satan. "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven," He said. The demons obeying His name was the first instalment of complete victory over all the power of the enemy. At the time people did not see that. It was like the cloud the size of a man's hand, which Elijah's servant saw. But that cloud grew until it covered the whole sky. In the same way, the power of the enemy had begun to give way and would be destroyed entirely. His final defeat was certain.

What peace it gives our souls to see Christ's power over all creation, and Satan's power all broken! In the new age this will be shown in full. The miracles the disciples worked were a sign of that energy and power of the Son of Man. The world to come will know it.

These crowds of satanic agents cause intense anguish. It is like the torment of the scorpion's poisonous sting. The scorpion avoids the light, and people across Africa and Asia dread it with good reason. The sting is not often deadly, but the suffering is dreadful… In Luke 10:19 the Lord connects serpents, scorpions, and the power of the enemy with the fall of Satan.

His name, when rightly borne and used, carries omnipotence with it. So when the seventy returned to the Lord, they said, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!" The word is "in" His name, not "through" it, as some older translations read. "Yes," replied the Lord, "behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy." The mission and the power to carry it out belong together. Only one thing is needed to use that power: faith, faith in action.

It is not that He undervalues power, or withdraws it from them. No, He rejoices in it, and confirms it in their hands, saying, "I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions." But there is something better. The children's home in heaven is more precious than the earthly power of the heirs of God.

They spoke of the demons. He spoke of Satan. "I saw," He said, "Satan fall like lightning from heaven." The demons' obedience to His name guaranteed complete victory over all the power of the enemy. Men did not see that yet. It was like the cloud the size of a man's hand which Elijah's servant saw. That cloud grew until it covered the whole sky. In the same way, the enemy's power had begun to give way, and it would be wiped out completely. His final overthrow was certain.

But the Lord showed them that their immature judgment had made them miss the true proportion of things. The endowments of grace far exceeded in value the equipment for service. Their names were written in heaven and not in the dust of the earth. Being enrolled for heavenly blessing was the right thing to rejoice in, rather than the power over unclean spirits handed to them.

Power over evil is real now, and in the end it will display the full glory of God. Even so, it cannot be compared to the joy of His grace — the joy of seeing not only Satan turned out, but God brought in.

The figure is a simple one. Our names are enrolled in the city or district where we live. The Lord said to these men, in effect: heavenly citizenship is to be yours. That is a greater cause of rejoicing than any power given on earth. Luke's Gospel gives us the change from law to grace and from earth to heaven. This verse is a clear landmark along the way.

This was something entirely new for the disciples. They had no doubt believed in the resurrection of the dead. But they expected a portion on earth after being raised. Instead, the Lord points towards heaven. There God in His grace had written their names, to give them a portion with Christ Himself.

There was, however, something greater than this in which they could rejoice: their names were "written in heaven." … God had marked them out for a place in heaven. That is PREDESTINATION. God had marked them out for heavenly citizenship. It was His purpose before time began. They could not have written their names there. The names were already there — a truth never before made known to the sons of men.

And so it is with all true believers. Gifts, service and miracles can never touch this basic fact: they rest for themselves alone upon Christ and His work. … Paul was sure of his present and eternal security, for he knew whom he had believed. He did not rest one shred of his soul's salvation on his apostleship and ministry. As our Lord said to His disciples when they rejoiced that they could cast out demons, "rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

Let us rejoice that our names are written in the "Lamb's book of life." Scripture never speaks of any name being erased from that book. The names are there because Jesus, God's Lamb, died. They will remain there to the eternal glory of God's blessed Son.

In that same hour — the hour when the seventy rejoiced — Jesus Himself rejoiced. He saw not only the coming fall of Satan, and with it the ruin of all his evil plans, but also the Father at work to establish all His own plans. At the base of those bright plans lay this: He Himself is to be fully revealed and known, and "babes", not the wise and clever of this world, are to receive that revelation.

The seventy had rejoiced in the power they were given. He, who had received all power, found His joy in the Father acting as He willed, and revealing things to babes. What a difference!

Here we learn the secret of the Son's joy. If there was sorrow over what His people Israel had done in rejecting Him and His works, He could still rejoice in the Father and in the Father's will. If Israel shut its door against Him, the Son saw the Father open another door for others to enter. In this there would be greater glory for the Father and greater joy for His heart. The wise and prudent of Israel, the leaders of the people, knew nothing of the Father's secret plans for the blessing of men. But those whom the great of the earth despised — the Lord's humble disciples — received from the Son this wonderful knowledge of the Father and of His purposes of eternal love.

By the world's standards "the wise and prudent" were left in the dark, while babes — those who took a lowly place of submission — were shown what is of eternal, vital value. People who think of themselves as wise usually accept only what they can reason out. The sheer simplicity of what God offers His creatures trips them up. Meanwhile the unquestioning faith of babes accepts it and understands it without difficulty.

Human wisdom failed. That was fitting, even necessary. How could it, low and earthly as it is, understand God's ways? These things were hidden, and hidden by the Lord of all from the wise and prudent. He puts man's wisdom in its place, its true moral place. But grace revealed them to the simple and modest — to the unsuspecting trust of the babe.

What men prize highly, God counts an abomination. He had revealed His mind to babes. This was clearly grace. There was no claim; and babes would have seemed the very last people to whom God would reveal what lay beyond the wise and prudent... And grace does not find objects fit for itself; it makes them, for God's glory. Grace creates; the law does not.

Grace meets a ruined world once the law's order is set aside. Jesus, rejected by those who boasted of the law, rejoices in the grace of God and thanks Him as the Father — the One whom the law never revealed. He was Father in His own divine relationship to the Son, far beyond the knowledge of men or the reach of their thoughts and imagination... All through that time God was veiled, dwelling in thick darkness, not revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Hopes are no longer limited to the earth. God is now looked to as Lord of heaven and earth — sovereign over all things.

Knowing God means everything must be good to us, because it comes from Him. It may go strongly against our nature. Men's rejection of His message was of course painful to Jesus. It threw Him back on the sovereignty of God His Father, whom He knew.

It was His pleasure; He took delight in His own love.